


The Paris Accords

by Imogen74



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Hanging out in Paris, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Steve is recruiting Natasha for a team post Avengers, they are getting to know each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:14:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imogen74/pseuds/Imogen74
Summary: Steve Rogers wants to create a new team with Sam, Wanda, and Natasha after the events of "Civil War." Natasha is a bit reluctant, but agrees if he hangs out in Paris with her for a few days.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 1
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

Natasha was sitting at a cafe in Paris. She liked Paris. It was…quaint. Charming. She had left the Avengers in disarray, and she had no idea what she was going to do now.

The Accords had been a failure. But she wasn’t sorry for anything that she had done. She signed them, and she helped Steve escape with Bucky. Natasha had acted on her conscience, and that was more than she could have said for most of her life.

She had gotten a text from Sam Wilson, asking to meet. Because she had no one, and because there was literally no where to go besides Ukraine…and she really did not want to go there, she agreed. 

She had believed that she would be taking a break. Stepping back. She’d need to find a way to make some money, as she didn’t think that Tony would be supplying her with a severance. Though she also believed, without a doubt, that if she needed money, or anything, he’d give it to her.  
Tony Stark was actually a really good person, no matter what he said. 

She was sipping her coffee, feeling bad for herself. Natasha Romanoff rarely felt bad for herself. But now, sitting at this cafe, she did.  
She missed Clint. She missed the team. 

They were her family.

She looked up and saw two men approaching. Natasha smiled. “Well. I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Steve Rogers sat at the table with Sam. “I wouldn’t expect you to be.”

“No,” she looked at them both. “So, what’s going on, boys? Where’s Barnes?”

“Safe,” said Steve. “Far away from here.”

She nodded. “Are you here to tell me what happened? Because everything is a shit show right now.”

“Not exactly,” said Steve. 

“She should know,” Sam said. “She’s been a part of this since the beginning.”

“I don’t know anything,” she replied. “Tony texted me a few days ago saying that the team was done. I didn’t know he meant that I was done…or…?”

“It’s done. For now,” Steve amended. 

“I didn’t respond. He seemed pretty pissed.”

Steve’s gaze fell. “He is. And he has every right to be.”

“What happened?” Natasha asked softly.

Steve looked up and around. “Let’s walk,” and he stood, Sam following. 

“Does he always do whatever you say?” she laughed.

“Pretty much,” said Sam.

“Right, well…” they walked over to a bridge crossing the Seine. “I won’t,” she looked meaningfully at Steve. She wasn’t going to work for a boss anymore that wasn’t Fury. 

“Nat…the thing is,” Steve began. He sighed. “Bucky…he was a Winter Soldier.”

“I know.”

“And he was assigned to kill Tony’s parents.”

“Oh my god,” her face struck a solemn look, and she swallowed. “Poor Tony.”

“Yeah. It hit him real hard…and he made me…” Steve shook his head. “He made me choose. I couldn’t let him kill Bucky. I couldn’t do it, Nat.”

“No. You couldn’t.”

He crossed his arms. “So, that’s what happened. And now we’re here.”

Natasha looked at them both. “Ok?”

“The team is scattered. We were a lot more fragile than I would’ve thought.”

“We’re human, Rogers. There’s a difference.”

“Well, anyway, I wanted to see if you’re available.”

She looked at him crookedly and laughed. “Available for what, Steve?”

He smiled at her. “I want to keep a few people around. Sam…Wanda…you, if you’re interested. There’s still work to be done.”

She sighed and looked out into the Seine. “I dunno. Maybe.”

“I’ll be in Paris for a few days,” Steve began. “Think about it.”

“How do I reach you?”

Sam laughed. “He’s got a phone, if you can call it that.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I don’t need one of those fancy gadgets. A phone is a phone.”

“Well, it’s not a pager, is it?” she smiled.

“Barely,” and Sam got his phone out. “I’m leaving tomorrow for DC. I’m texting you Steve’s number now.”

She received his text. “What are you boys doing for money? What’s Wanda doing?”

“That’s part of the plan,” Steve said. “I’ve got some savings, but we need to think practically. Most of us don’t have enough for more than a few months.”

She nodded. “How long are you here, Steve?”

“Until the weekend. Call me when you’re ready, or to let me know you’re taking a pass,” and he nodded, turning away. She smiled at Sam and watched as they left. She thought that it might be a good idea to join this abbreviated team.

But then, what about Tony? Natasha looked at the ground and turned. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked back to the Airbnb that she had rented. She had no fixed plans, though. And Tony didn’t seem terribly keen to talk. 

Natasha went inside and turned on the television. She got herself an orange and sat down. If she was being honest, she knew that she wouldn’t last without a plan of some sort. Some kind of direction. Steve’s loose idea was attractive to her because it gave her something to hold onto.

She sat back, looking at the ceiling. She had always been on hyperdrive. Maybe if she had a few days to just relax and think…

Natasha looked at the time. It was four in the afternoon. She’d make herself some dinner. Read a book. Go to bed. 

And in the morning she’d think about this whole thing more thoroughly. 

*`*`*

Steve Rogers headed back to the hotel. Sam didn’t want to rent the same place, which he understood. But sometimes he thought that Sam Wilson behaved more like a spy than a soldier.

He put the television on. He’d speak to Sam in the morning before he went to DC. Steve sat back and inexplicably thought of Peggy. He hadn’t thought about her in a while.

She’d know what to do. He pretended that he knew what he was doing. He only knew that he couldn’t remain idle.

Staying the same, in a sort of limbo, wasn’t an option. He hoped that if he crossed paths with Tony, he’d understand.

He thought that he would.

He missed Tony already. 

Steve sighed and ordered a pizza. He hoped that Natasha would call. He thought that she’d make a great addition to this team he was trying to form out of the ashes of the Avengers.

He thought that Peggy would tell him he could only do so much. That he needed to keep things in perspective. 

Steve didn’t like being so alone. He put on a brave face, but in reality, it hurt. He felt so displaced all of the time. He missed people understanding what he understood. 

He tried. He did. He tried to make it through this modernity as best he could. But he missed so much of what he had, even though he had only lived it for a couple of decades. He wondered if Bucky missed it, too.

He should’ve asked him.

The pizza came and he ate watching French television. It would be kinda nice to have Natasha around if she agreed. She spoke almost every language. 

He got up, feeling exhausted. Maybe tomorrow he’d feel better about things.

*`*`*

Natasha brewed her coffee and stood at the counter watching it drip. She got her phone out of her pocket, and opened her email. Nothing.

She sighed, and looked at the time. 

It was ten am. 

A soldier was surely up by now.

So she texted him. 'Can you meet'

Send.

Natasha hadn’t really decided on anything, but she was also lonesome. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time. She thought about texting Clint, but he wanted space. Especially after the airport thing.

'Sure where' 

She smiled. 'Moonshiner. One hour.'

She waited. 'The pizza joint?'

'Yes.'

'One hour.'

She closed the phone and got ready to leave.

Natasha was waiting for him, but not for that long, when she saw him enter and look around. The art deco pizza place was a darkish cafe, perfect to have a private conversation. She nodded as he approached the table. “Sleep well?”

“Sure. You?”

She shrugged. “Well enough.”

He nodded. “Did you order?”

“Yeah…plus a couple of beers, if that’s ok.”

“Beer? At eleven in the morning?” he smirked.

“What’s the matter, Rogers? Day drinking is off limits?”

“All right, Romanoff. What’s your play?”

“Nothing. But pizza isn’t pizza without beer,” and the order came.

He took a sip. “Not bad.”

She smirked. “If we are gonna work together, you’ll need to trust me.”

“So you’ve decided?”

“Not exactly. But I’m leaning one direction.”

“What do I need to do to convince you?”

Natasha leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Spend the next couple of days hanging out in Paris with me.”

“What?” he smiled. “Are you serious?”

“Yep. Sure am. We worked together a couple of years ago, but if this is gonna be anything permanent, then I need to get to know you. And you should want to know me. You and Sam are close…”

“Yeah,” he said, sitting back.

“Probably should do the same with Wanda,” she said, more to herself. “But anyway, we need to know if this’ll work long term. Without many people involved.”

“You want to do a test run?” he was smiling broadly now.

“Don’t be so glib, Steve. You’ll need to know me to trust me, and the same goes for me. When we worked together to bring SHIELD down, emotions were high. This will be different. This will be a day to day thing. This will be more like a job, right?”

“Well, I can’t say I’ve honestly given everything that much thought.”

Now she sat back. “Really? You haven’t considered different angles to what you are proposing?”

He laughed and sat forward, taking a slice of pizza. “No. I guess I thought we’d be picking up where the Avengers left off.”

“This isn’t the Avengers. This can’t be.”

His gaze fell. “You’re right,” he struck a conciliatory tone. “What is it, then?”

“I dunno…But we will need to figure it out. In the meantime…let’s hang out in Paris until the weekend. It’s a pretty great town.”

He nodded. “All right, Natasha. Let’s hang out.”


	2. Chapter 2

The First Day

They left the cafe and started walking. The air was sweet and heavy with moisture. “What I love about Paris is the art vibe,” said Natasha, walking along the sidewalk. “You don’t see that anywhere else…well. Maybe parts of Spain. Venice sometimes. But not like here.”

“I didn’t know that you were an art lover.”

“There’s lots of things that you don’t know about me, Steve. That’s why we’re doing this,” she looked at him, smiling. “You like art?”

“Ah…well…I guess I haven’t been as exposed to it as some…” he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“There’s more to you than being a soldier. More than the thirties and forties, right?” she stopped and walked over to a bench by the Seine.

“Not that much,” he sat next to her.

She sat back and considered him a moment. “Steve.”

“Hm?” he looked at her.

“You need to be educated.”

“Thanks, Romanoff.”

“No…I mean…” she laughed. “There’s things that you want to know about that you’ve missed, right? I mean, there’s plenty that you’ve missed. Why don’t we tackle those things?”

He smiled at her. “Well, since you mention it…I had a list going…”

“List?”

“Yeah. A sort of tally of things that I needed to know about that I’d missed while I was in the ice.”

She smirked. That was so…Steve. And kinda sad. “What’s on the list?”

He shook his head. “It’s sort of a crapshoot.”

“Now you have to tell me.”

He cleared his throat and took out a notepad and flipped the page. “Ok…here…” he handed it to her.

She smiled and took it.  
I Love Lucy (TV show)  
Moon Landing  
Berlin Wall up + down  
Steve Jobs (Apple)  
Disco  
Thai Food  
Star Wars/Trek  
Nirvana (band)  
Rocky (Rocky II?)  
Troubleman (soundtrack)

“Is this it?” she asked.

“Well, no. But I haven’t had the chance lately to talk about something I’ve missed, so that’s an incomplete list.”

“Do you remember anything else?”

“Yeah…a few…a TV show, Sherlock, maybe? The Beatles, Sean Connery, Daft Punk…I think that was the name of it…AC/DC, space travel, and someone named Steve Irwin.”

She laughed. “Who tells you these things?”

“Just people. People I meet,” he looked at her, then looked away. “I guess it is funny…but it’s helpful when I’m looking for things to do.”

“Oh…no. No…” she handed him back his list. “I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing at the eclectic nature of those things. They’re all over the place.”

He shrugged. “Maybe people are all over the place.”

“Maybe,” she said softly. “That’s actually a pretty easy list.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah. Most of it is music, and stuff you can look up on the internet.”

“I’ve looked up a few already. Sean Connery is ok. And I kinda like The Beatles. And all the moon landing space travel stuff is pretty out there.”

She laughed. “Then maybe we get Thai Food and binge watch I Love Lucy.”

“That’s what you want to do?”

“It takes care of two things right away,” and she stood. “Coming? I know a sweet Thai restaurant.”

Tooq Tooq was a purple van serving Thai street food. Steve was a little taken aback. “Is this legitimate?” he said softly to Natasha.

“Don’t be so closed minded, Steve. Of course it’s legitimate.”

*`*`*

They got some spring rolls, salads, and noodle dishes and carried them to the metro back to Natasha’s Airbnb. Natasha spent some time looking for I Love Lucy, but then ended up renting it on pay per view. They sat back and started on the Thai. 

“Lucy” had subtitles. It was a strange thing to watch Lucy, such an iconic show, with subtitles. “Whaddya think?” Natasha said after a while.

“Well, she’s pretty ridiculous.”

“That’s the joke.”

Steve shrugged. “I mean, it’s not bad.”

She laughed. “We can try Star Wars. That’s probably more your speed.”

“Whatever you like,” he smiled.

“Mm, I’ve heard that before…” she stood to look at the DVD collection the place had. “What do you think of the Thai?”

“It’s good. I like it. Food was much different in the thirties and forties.”

“You’ve had some time to adjust, haven’t you?” she found A New Hope and put it in the player. 

“Yes and no. I mean, some things don’t change. But then, maybe I’m just drawn to sameness. When I go to the store, I go for ground meat. Canned peas. That stuff.”

“Yum,” she said, eyes wide. “It’s probably a good thing to open your pallet, Steve. There’s more to life than eating pizza and peas.”

“I know. But also, maybe not?” he laughed.

They watched the first Star Wars movie all the way through, and he seemed to be impressed. “I liked it.”

“Who did you like best?”

“Luke. He’s a warrior.”

“So’s Leia.”

“Sure…but Han Solo is an ass.”

Natasha slapped his arm. “Don’t ever rag on Han. He was my first crush.”

“Really, Romanoff? That guy?” he laughed.

“What? He’s funny. Cute. Smart. What’s not to like?”

“He lacks honor.”

“Come on, Rogers. Can’t you give that up, even for Star Wars?”

Steve sat forward, elbows on his knees. “It’s not an act, Natasha.”

She swallowed. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

He nodded. He didn’t want to argue or make her upset. “It’s ok. I guess it can be a bit much.”

“No…it’s wonderful actually. You know who you are. That’s not something I’ve ever had.”

Steve sat back to look at her. “I know you.”

“Do you now?” she smirked.

“You’re loyal. You’re incredibly smart. You kick some ass regularly…”

She blushed. “Stop it.”

“What? Can’t take a compliment?”

“It’s not that.” But it kinda was.

“There’s a reason why I want you on the team, Natasha.”

“Yeah. I’m all that’s left,” and as soon as she said it, she regretted it.

“What? No! Come on…” he stood and went to the window. He sighed and out his hands on his hips. “You are, aside from Tony, the smartest person I know.”

“More than Bruce?”

“More than Bruce.”

She laughed. “That’s really nice of you.”

“I wasn’t meaning to be nice.”

She sat back, considering him. “I make myself into what people need me to be.”

He nodded, then sat in the armchair next to the sofa she was sitting in. “Yeah. You’re a spy. I get it.”

She swallowed. “And you are a soldier.”

He nodded again. “What ever happened between you and Banner?”

“What?”

“You and Bruce. Not that long ago I watched you flirt with him.”

She laughed. “Yeah. I guess you did.”

“Well?” he smiled.

“That was…a mistake,” she scrunched her nose.

“Was it? Because it kinda seemed pretty perfect.”

“Did it? It felt the opposite.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she sat forward. “I’m pretty used to it.”

“To what?”

“To…” she smiled, blushing. “To things not working out.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“What about Peggy?”

His gaze fell. 

“Sorry…” damn. She shouldn’t have said anything. “Sorry…”

“No it’s…it’s fine. Peggy…I can’t really say that things worked out.”

Natasha nodded. “So what about Bucky?”

He looked at her. “Bucky?”

“I mean…there was some talk…”

“That I was in love with Bucky?” he smiled.

She shrugged. “Well. Why not? You’ve got a lot in common.”

He laughed out loud. “Yeah. We do,” he sat back, rubbing his face. “I think I’m out of his league, Natasha.”

“Never say never, Steve.”

“I wouldn’t say that. But Bucky is not someone that I think of in that way.”

She shrugged. “It’s 2017. Things are different.”

He stared at her a minute. “Yeah. They sure are.”

*`*`*

Steve left a little later to return to his hotel. It had been a strange day, one that didn’t sit wholly well with him. 

He couldn’t account for his unease at leaving Natasha’s place, but he felt it. The conversation was odd. It made him feel exposed, but, he supposed that that was what the design was. She wanted to understand him, at least that what he assumed was happening.

Steve just wasn’t completely comfortable with Natasha getting inside his head. And that realization made him wonder if he should be working with her at all. 

Did he mind it if Sam knew things about him? No. Not really.  
Wanda? Mmm…maybe. 

He went inside the hotel and put the television on. 

It wasn’t as though he was intentionally concealing things about himself. But everyone had things that no one else knew…things that no one wanted to talk about.

And he had a few.

Maybe tomorrow he’d try to pin more on Natasha. Turn the tables a bit. It felt like she was grilling him.

He sighed. The Thai food was pretty good…

And he smiled.

*`*`*

Natasha took a long bath and went to bed with a book. She couldn’t concentrate, though. She kept thinking about the day, and how she was a bit rough on Steve.

He was such a good guy…too good, if she was being honest. She wanted to discover weaknesses. Something that she would recognize on the job and prepare for. She supposed that Bucky was a weakness. Peggy, if she was alive.

Other than that, he was just sort of sad. 

But then, his life, on the whole, was pretty depressing. She couldn’t blame him. To be ripped out of time, apart from everything that was familiar…it seemed terrifying. 

Of course he’d be depressed. 

Maybe she should take him dancing. Or maybe they should take a drive and see the countryside. Something to make him feel more comfortable in the time he was in. 

She laid back in bed thinking. She’d said some shitty things that day. Maybe she was testing him. 

But that wasn’t fair. She supposed that this entire thing was a sort of test. A test to see if they’d work well together, long term.

Natasha rolled over and closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would be better.

*`*`*

He woke up in the middle of the night after a nightmare. Steve didn’t often have nightmares, at least not ones that woke him up. 

He went to the kitchenette and got some water. 

And he was suddenly filled with a rage for who he was, what he was, and what had happened to him. 

He hated that he had lost out on a life with Peggy. He hated that he was expected to serve at the expense of everything else.  
He rather hated who he was.

Steve looked at himself in the mirror. 

He should cut Romanoff some slack. Everyone hates themselves sometimes.


	3. Chapter 3

The Second Day, 9am-3pm

Natasha was drinking coffee when she received the text.

'Morning. Mind if I come over?'

She paused, biting her bottom lip. It was an odd question, really. The wording of it put her off. Come over…?

'Sure. Give me an hour.'

There was no response, so she picked up a little then went to the shower. And like clockwork, the bell rang. 

“Morning Steve,” she smiled.

“Hey. Thanks for having me over on short notice,” and he walked passed her into the sitting room. 

“It’s not like I’ve got tons going on, you know,” she smiled. “So…want some coffee?”

“Yeah,” he breathed. “That’d be nice,” and he sat down. “How long do you have the place for?” he called, then picked up one of the books that were sitting on the coffee table. Lincoln in the Bardo, and The Song of Achilles. 

“I have it until Monday,” she came in and handed him the coffee. “Black, with a little sugar.”

“That’s right,” he took it and sipped. “How do you take yours?” 

“White. No sugar.”

He nodded. “Been reading?”

“Oh!” she smiled. “A bit. I like The Song of Achilles…the other one is just ok.”

“Read a lot, do you?” he sat back.

“Mm…I dunno if I read a lot. I read when I can…” she swallowed. “Do you? Read a lot, I mean?”

“Not really, no. I read some.”

“What do you do for fun, Rogers? Clearly you don’t eat out much…not into art…barely into film or television…no books…”

“Well, I run. Listen to records. I’m a fair carpenter.”

Her eyes went wide. “Wow. That’s pretty cool.”

And he laughed. “Is it?”

“Yeah. It really is,” and she was genuine. 

He smirked at her, then put the cup down. “Look, Natasha…I was thinking about yesterday. And…”

“I’m sorry, Steve.”

“What?”

She cleared her throat. “I was pushy. I’m serious about this time being spent getting to know each other better, but…it doesn’t have to be all in, right now. And I asked you some pretty hard core stuff.”

He nodded. “Yeah you did.”

“So…I still want to do this. And I’m still reserving final judgement until you leave, but I promise I’ll be more reasonable,” she smiled. “Ok?”

“Ok,” he laughed. “Good. Well, what should we do today?”

“I dunno. What do you feel like doing?”

He smiled. “What about a museum?”

“Like…and art museum?”

“Sure,” he nodded. 

“Well, there’s nothing like the Louvre.”

“That’s what I hear,” he said, picking up the cup and sipping. “Have you been?”

“A few times,” she downed her coffee.

“Is there anything you haven’t done, Romanoff?”

“Sure. Remember, I told you…I only act like I know everything. There’s plenty I don’t know, loads I haven’t done.”

“We’ll see,” and he stood. “Done?” he offered his hand for the cup. 

“Thanks,” and he took it from her. “Ready when you are,” he called from the kitchen. 

“Gimme a sec,” and she ran upstairs to fetch her bag. She had essentials in it, and took out anything that could be perceived as a suspicious weapon. Natasha walked back downstairs and put a sweater on. “Ready,” and she opened the door. They took the metro, because it was a walk, and it looked like rain. Natasha explained that, like London, it often looked like rain in Paris. But unlike London, it never lasted long. They walked up to the entrance, and luckily, there was no line. Natasha paid and they went inside. “You’re buying dinner, Rogers,” she said softly.

“I thought you were cooking.”

“Fat chance,” she laughed.

Steve grabbed a map and looked at it. “So of course we need to see the Mona Lisa…”

“Well, yeah. But there are so many other things to see,” she looked around…”There’s Aphrodite, or Venus as some put it. There’s the Louis the 16th painting…but maybe we should check out the Mona Lisa first, because it’s almost a wasted trip if we leave not seeing it.”

“Let’s go.”

And they headed for the exhibit. 

There was a line, but not too bad yet, it was early yet. They queued up. Natasha looked at the map. “So…we can head straight for the portrait gallery after this. It’s not far. And then maybe the hall with the sculptures…” she looked up at Steve. “Well?”

He looked at her. “Hm?” he was distracted by the couple standing a few ahead of them. They were holding hands and leaning close to each other. 

“What’s up Rogers?” she turned her gaze to where he was looking, and she saw a couple he had been watching. “That is not at all creepy.”

“What?” he looked crookedly at her.

“You should stop staring at them.”

He dropped his gaze as the line moved. “Yeah…I guess I should,” he chucked, a bit embarrassed. “She reminded me of Sharon.”

“Sharon?”

“Carter.”

“Oh yeah…Did you guys ever…?” she smiled.

“Not really no.”

Natasha nodded. “We have shit luck, huh?” the line moved forward. 

“Bad timing, I guess,” and they reached the Mona Lisa. 

“There she is,” Natasha smiled. 

“Yeah,” he heaved a sigh. Steve canted his head looking at it. “It’s nice.”

She snorted. “Nice? It’s probably the most famous painting in the world.”

“Yeah…” he nodded. “And I said it’s nice,” he looked at Natasha. 

She smiled at him, then looked at the painting. “It’s sad, if you think about it. She’s famous for her smile, but it’s actually really dark. And the fact that no one smiled for paintings then…”

“No one smiled for photos until much later, either. I remember being told to smile for a picture for the first time and thinking it was odd.”

Natasha considered this a moment. “Huh. Yeah I guess you’re right.”

“First time for everything,” he said. “Let’s go,” and he turned, walking away.

They walked to an adjacent gallery at the back of the Mona Lisa exhibit and started to look at some of the portraits. “You know Steve, I think you’re a pretty smart guy,” Natasha said, walking up to him as he considered a painting.

He laughed. “I’m not known for my brain, Natasha. And that’s ok.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not smart.”

He looked at her. “Don’t placate me.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. I’m trying to be honest…it’s not one or the other.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“I mean…it’s not…” she swallowed, looking at her feet and then back up. “It’s not: you’re smart or you’re strong. You can be both.”

“Thanks, Nat.”

She nodded. “What do you think of this one?”

He looked at the painting. It was a battle scene during the French Revolution. “It looks familiar.”

They walked around for a few hours, not talking that much. Natasha suggested that they eat at the cafe, since there was mostly sandwiches and things, and it was right there. 

“Feeling cultured?” she asked as they sat with their lunch.

He smiled. “Sure.”

“Did you like it? The museum, I mean.”

“It was…” he seemed like he was searching for a word. “Nice.”

“Nice? That’s all?”

“It was…” he shook his head, smiling. “I liked it.”

Natasha smirked. “Not your thing, huh?”

“What do you want from me, Romanoff?” he said, not completely seriously.

“Fun. I want you to have fun,” she replied. “What is fun for Captain America?”

“Fun,” he sat back, arms folded. “Ah…well…Dancing is fun.”

“Ok,” she took a bite.

“I like playing cards.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Some movies are fun. I like to have a morning run…” he looked out the window. “That’s…that’s about it. What are things that you do for fun?” and he looked back at her.

She smiled. “I’m not too picky. I like most things.”

He nodded. “You’re whatever you need to be.”

Natasha shrugged. “Sure. I mean, I like to read. Swimming,” she said, eyes wide as though she had just remembered. “I like to swim.”

“Swimming. That wasn’t so much a thing for me.”

“But you can swim, right?”

“Of course I can. I just meant…” he swallowed, and then gulped some water. “Before…everything.”

Natasha smiled. “Tell me about it,” she took another bite.

“Tell you what?”

“Your story. I mean, I know bits…”

He sighed, then shrugged. “Let’s walk.”

They left and Natasha buttoned up her sweater. There was a park not far, and they headed there. The air was crisp, not like it had been…and the sun was shining. 

“I was a little guy. As in, I was literally a little guy. But I wanted to serve…Bucky was going, and he had always been there for me. He was always stepping in, helping me out.” he sat down on a park bench, Natasha sitting next to him. “They wouldn’t take me. I had physical problems, heart issues. A guy…Dr Erkstein, decides that I would make a good candidate for this serum. They were trying to make a super soldier. And…I agreed. As fast as I could, without even thinking about it,” he folded his hands. “I remember finding Peggy cute. And smart. And I asked her out,” he smiled and looked at Natasha.

“What did she say?”

“After I took the serum, she seemed much more into the idea,” he chuckled.

“I see,” and she looked away. “Did you ever consider what it would mean to not take the serum?”

“No. Not once. It’s funny because my heart kept me out of the Army. But then, it was my heart that made me into this,” he sat back. 

“You’re more than the serum, Steve. Dr Erkstein chose you because you are a good person. An honorable person.”

He nodded, sighing. “Yep. I know.”

“Steve…”

He looked at her. 

“What is it?”

“Well, I’m finding, with this contingency of yours, that I don’t know myself as well as I would have thought.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t have a lot of interests…I don’t feel like I belong anywhere but the battlefield,” he swallowed. “Remember Wanda…giving us those dreams, or visions, or whatever?”

Natasha’s eyes shot to his. “Yeah?”

“I saw myself in a dance hall. And everyone was dressed in forties clothing, Peggy and I danced, and she told me that the war was over. But it isn’t, not for me. I’m always looking for the fight, because that’s the only place I truly belong here.” he looked at her. “And I can’t ever go home, Natasha. My home is long gone.”

She felt her eyes well. “You feel like you don’t belong with the team.”

“Yeah.”

“Me too,” she nodded.

“What?”

She swallowed. “That vision…the one that Wanda showed me…” she closed her eyes, then smiled and looked at him. “I’ve only told two other people this, Steve. So bear with me.”

“Ok,” his brow was furrowed in concern.

“I …was a trained assassin. And they trained me well…and…as a part of my training, they sterilized me. Makes it efficient, you know?”

“Oh, Nat…”

“It’s ok,” she quickly said, cutting him off. “But you see…” she swallowed. “I’m a killer. And I wanted to change. But I don’t know if I can. I’m barely an Avenger,” she said softly.

“You’ve changed,” he said. 

She smiled. “What I learned from that vision was that I was made. I mean, I guess I always knew in a way, but I was made a try specific way, to accomplish very specific things. And even though I still use those skills, I’m not using them the way they taught me to. Am I so different?” Natasha swallowed. “Was Loki wrong? Ultron, wrong? I kill in the service of killers…but I tell myself that I’m doing it for the right reasons.”

“They have to be wrong, Natasha,” he shook his head, and then looked at her. “Otherwise what are we doing?”

She smiled. “Exactly. The exact question I’ve been asking myself. Which was why I took this time, Steve. I wanted to determine exactly what I’m doing. And then you showed up…and I mean, I don’t know anything else. Just like you.”

He nodded. She was right. And he didn’t know how to change, or if he wanted to change. The only thing he knew he wanted was to go back, and that was one thing he could never do. “Yeah,” he said softly. He wished that there was something that he could say to make everything make sense. He didn’t even know if he still wanted to form this other team…this alternative team. 

He would miss the others.

And it made him think that there was more to all of this than just altruistic reasons…that he wanted to hold onto some semblance of a family. The only family that had ever mattered to him.  
So, maybe it was more than just making money or keeping busy or even helping people.  
Maybe it was selfish, too. “Let’s go, Romanoff,” he said, standing.

“Ok…” she stood, too. 

They walked down a promenade, merchants and artists out selling their wares. “Who are you, Natasha?”

She sighed. “Who do you want me to be?”

He stopped. “You asked me that before, and I said a friend.”

“I remember,” she paused. “Is the answer the same?”

He looked at her steadily. “Yeah. But also, I’d like you to be part of my team. Because I can’t live without it.”

She smirked a bit. “Does that mean you can’t live without me?”

He chuckled. “No. But it means I’d rather live with you than without you.”

Natasha swallowed. “Yeah…” her voice cracked a bit. “Let’s go…” she nodded to a cafe. “Go over there and get some coffee.”

“All right.”

They walked over and ordered some coffee. “You want to know who I am?” she asked, sipping the hot beverage.

“If you want to tell me.”

“I’m scared. And I’ve got some arrested development, because I missed out on so much. I wanted to do something meaningful, but it ended up not meaning anything…and I’m…” she felt her throat constrict. “I’m lonely. I don’t mind usually, but sometimes, when I’m feeling really down on things…I wish I had someone who understood.”

He was smiling.

“What?”

“Well, you sound exactly like me.”

Natasha looked at him for a moment. “Yeah…” she breathed. Maybe she wasn’t so alone. They had both been made…both robbed of time…both searching for something in the Avengers, both because it had been what they had been trained to do, and didn’t know anything else. She had been bred for destruction, he had been made to save. 

And yet it was Steve and Tony who had destroyed the Avengers.

“Have you spoken to Tony?”

“I sent him my contact information.”

She giggled. “You mean your mailing address?”

“No,” he smiled, rolling his eyes. “My cell phone number,” he sat back. “Why?”

“Well, because if I know anything about anything, I’d say that you are gonna miss each other.”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

She looked around. “Let’s do the next thing on your list.”

“Next thing?”

“Take it out, Rogers,” she smiled, holding her hand out.

He raised his eyebrows and took the writing pad out. “Let’s see…wanna go dancing?”

“Not really. Not yet,” and she took it from him. “Let’s go back to the Airbnb and watch Sherlock, and maybe listen to Nirvana.”

Steve nodded. “Ok. Let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

The Second Day, 3pm-9pm

They went back to the Airbnb. 

“Your turn to fix dinner, Steve,” Natasha sat on the sofa and turned on the television. 

“You want me to cook,” it was a statement, and he was in the kitchen, getting some wine.

“No. I said that I wanted you to fix dinner. That means you can order if you want…” she found Sherlock on Netflix and sat back.

He smiled. “Well, if we get drunk enough, then maybe anything I’ll cook will taste ok,” he handed her the wine.

“That’s your play, Rogers? Get me drunk?” she smiled. 

“Well, I can’t outsmart you,” he sat next to her. “Where can we order?”

She smiled. “Lemme check,” she pulled out her phone. “Watch the show,” she nodded to the tv.

“Have you seen it?”

“Ah…” she glanced up. “I think I saw the first season.”

He nodded. “I think some burgers would be pretty satisfying.”

“Mm…lemme see…what about falafel?”

“Fall-what?”

She laughed. “Falafel? It’s…an Egyptian fritter.”

He shrugged. “Ok.”

Natasha handed him the phone. “Go ahead.”

“Excuse me?”

“Order the food,” she smirked.

“I can’t speak much French…”

“Order online.”

“Natasha…” he almost whined.

“Oh all right. Gimme it. So much for you taking care of dinner,” she called the restaurant.

“I’ll pay,” he said, a bit annoyed. She knew that he didn’t speak French fluently, and the fact that she was being so insistent was irritating.

She nodded, ordering the food. Afterwards, she hung up and felt bad for laughing. It was kinda endearing how he knew really so very little about anything about modern life. “Hey,” she said, touching his arm. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For laughing. I shouldn’t have laughed.”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I told you though, I don’t speak French.”

She sighed. ”You’re right, I was being silly.”

The food came and they watched the first season of Sherlock. It was almost eight at night. “Whadya think?” she asked.

“He reminded me of Tony.”

“Sherlock Holmes?”

“A bit, yeah,” Steve sat back on the sofa. “I guess it was the confidence. Also the big brain.”

She laughed. “I can totally see that,” and she sat back with him. The room was a comfortable one, with soft furniture and a fireplace at the far end. The kitchen opened to the sitting room in front of it. Natasha thought that Tony would absolutely hate the place. It was much too small. “I miss him, you know.”“Who? Tony?”

“Yeah. A bit, anyway.”

“I miss him. I …” Steve swallowed. “I regret some of the things that happened.”

She nodded. “He’s tough. But also, in a way, not so tough,” Natasha smiled meekly. 

“There’s no way he’s gonna forget what happened any time soon.” Steve looked at his hands folded in his lap. Tony Stark had been one of his best friends, no matter how he looked at it. It was odd, because they were so very different, and their relationship had been prickly. Tony pissed him off the way few can. But Steve knew him to be a good person, no matter how much bullshit he put him through. In the end, he knew Tony would do the right thing. 

“No one would be able to forget something like that.”

“No. I guess not.”

Natasha stood and went to the kitchen to get the bottle of wine. “Did you like the falafel?” and she poured more for him.

“Yeah. I did,” he sipped. 

She sat in the chair next to the sofa. She sipped and then cleared her throat. “What sort of things do you envision this new team doing?”

He looked steadily at her. “Does this mean you’re considering it?”

“I’ve been considering it the whole time, Steve. That’s what we’re doing,” she smiled.

“No, I mean, are you seriously considering it?”

Natasha looked out of the window. It was full dark now, and the moon was hanging low in the sky. “Yeah.”

He leaned forward. “Well, I’m not sure. Tony and a lot of the others won’t be with us. But…we can help with who we’ve got. Wanda is pretty incredible, and we can even spilt up sometimes to get to different places…I just…” he swallowed. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“Not much of a plan,” she said softly.

“I’m open to suggestions.”

Natasha nodded, then sat back in her chair. “I could talk to Nick. He’s just hanging out.”

Steve shrugged. “I’m not sure how much I trust Fury.”

“What’s gonna happen? He’d put some feelers out.”

He sighed, smiling. “If you agree to join, I’ll agree to Fury.”

“Well played,” she nodded, smirking. Natasha slapped her hands on her thighs. “Well, how many more days have we got?”

“Today’s Thursday.”

“And you’re leaving on Saturday.”

He nodded. “That’s the plan. But I don’t really have to be anywhere, so there’s that.”

“So…you could maybe stay until Monday when I leave?”

He considered her for a passing second. “What are you going to do? Where will you go?”

“I’m not sure. I had been playing with the idea of going back to Ukraine. See my sister,” she smirked.

His mouth fell open. “You have a sister,” he simply said.

She swallowed. Well, maybe not technically, but close enough. “Yep. I’ve got a sister. Why? Are you an only child?”

And he burst into laughter.

“What?” she smiled. “Why is that funny?”

“All of it is funny…” he stammered through the laughter, and he wiped his eyes. “From…” he swallowed. “…you having a sister to you asking me if I’m an only child. Natasha. I’m …98? Years old. Only child isn’t really a great way to ask me if I’ve got siblings. And why didn’t you tell me you have a sister? And when can I meet her?”

She blushed a bit. “I guess it’s funny,” Natasha replied, shrugging. “Ah…my sister never came up in conversation. No one from the team ever mentioned it.”  
Steve thought about this a moment. No…no one likely did. Why would they? They seldom talked about personal things…no one knew that Clint had a wife and kids, why would anyone know that Natasha had a sister? “Do you know if any of the others have siblings? Besides Wanda, I mean,” he added softly. “Oh, and Thor,” he chuckled.

“Ah…no…Tony is an only chi…doesn’t have siblings,” she amended with a smile. “Not sure about Bruce, or Rhodey. And actually…there were a few new faces…”

He nodded. “That kid…”

“Peter Parker.”

“Queens. Yeah. I bet he doesn’t.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. Just a gut feeling,” he downed his wine. “So…tomorrow?” he asked, standing. 

“Yeah. Sounds good,” she stood. They walked to the door, and she felt compelled to say something to him. “Hey Steve?” she said quickly.

“Yeah,” he turned to face her.

“Um, look. Maybe…maybe part of me wanted to do this because, you know, I’m lonely.”

“Do what, Natasha?”

“Hang out,” she shrugged, and stuck her hands in her pockets. “I’m having a really good time,” and she went to him, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek.

Steve looked down at her. She was blushing slightly, but smiling. He nodded. “Good night, Nat,” and he turned and left.

“Night Steve,” she said to no one, and closed the door.

He walked to the hotel with his hands in his pockets, deep in thought. It had been a rather depressing couple of days with Natasha. He hadn’t expected that. Everything was very cerebral and reflective, and those ponderances caused a melancholy in him, and, he supposed, in Natasha. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like to think deeply about things, he just seldom did because it was so depressing. And he was.   
Getting depressed over this stuff. 

Tomorrow he would suggest something fun. Maybe dancing. Or…maybe the Eiffel Tower. Steve went to his room and turned on the television. She had said that she was having a good time, so there was that. He laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He thought about the things they had talked about, and how, in a lot of ways, they were very similar. It seemed like they were both misfits of a sort, and that they had both been made into something that they weren’t sure they actually were.

He rolled onto his side, listening to the French program. She told him she was lonely…that was big for her. It made her vulnerable, and if he knew anything about Natasha Romanoff, it was that she didn’t like to be vulnerable. 

She trusted him.

And he almost trusted her.

He couldn’t pinpoint what it was that made him hesitate…she had more than made up for any secrets she might have kept from him in the past…but there was something about her, something beyond her just being a spy, that gave him pause. 

Perhaps that was why he didn’t want her to get inside his head. Because he didn’t, no matter what he told himself about her joining the team. 

*`*`*

Natasha got a shower, a book, and headed to bed. She thought that it had been a pretty good day on the whole, and was looking forward to sleep.

She was considering the conversation they had had at the end of the evening, about siblings. Yelena was not her biological sister. She didn’t honestly know if she had a biological sister. But the two had been through so much together that it had been second nature to call each other “sister.” So, while she supposed in a way that she was lying, in another way, she wasn’t. She was fairly certain that if someone asked Yelena if Natasha was her sister, she’d say yes. 

But still, she felt rather bad about the lie, small though it was. Perhaps she’d explain in the morning. 

She couldn’t account for her guilt. She’d told much more nefarious lies than that…but for some reason she felt especially bad about this lie. Even though it was innocent. Or maybe because it was innocent.

But that didn’t make any sense.

She sighed and snapped the book closed. Why did she care so much? 

Natasha got up to get herself some water. Telling Steve about Yelena and all of the particulars was an admission she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into. It was involved. It was making herself vulnerable in ways that she didn’t like to contemplate. 

But she knew that she could trust him, because if Steve Rogers was anything, it was honorable and trustworthy.  
But that was two things, actually.  
She smiled. Natasha cared for him immensely. As much as Clint…and the whole team, really. But there was something about Steve Rogers…maybe it was is innate and indisputable goodness…that made him even more precious to her. Because he was.

She downed her water and went to the bathroom. She was cleaning her face when she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked tired. 

And she thought about how much she was looking forward to tomorrow, seeing her friend. Her best friend.

And she smiled.


End file.
